Automatic immobilizing device



Feb. 7, 1967 H. M. EAGLESON, JR, ETAL 3,302,757

AUTOMATI C IMMOBILI Z ING DEVI CE Filed March 18, 1965 IN V E N TORS#00651. 46$0M J2. BY P05527 CI :Q/OMRDS w l 6 1 United States Patent3,362,757 AUTGMATTC IMMUBKLIZHNG DEVICE Hodge M. Eagieson, Jr., Memphis,Tenn, and Robert C.

Richards, Coraopolis, Pa, assignors to Aid Incorporated of Pennsylvania,Burgettstown, Pa.

Filled Mar. 18, 1965, Eer. No. 44%,877 7 Claims. (Cl. 188-167) Thisinvention relates to improvements in wheelchairs and relates inparticular to wheelchair apparatus that will automatically immobilize awheelchair when the user is transferring from the chair.

Presently available wheelchairs that are equipped to be immobilized areprovided with braking apparatus having brake arms. Such arms arepositioned for operation by the person or patient utilizing the chairand generally one such arm is positioned on either side of the chair andeach arm is disposed to immobilize the respective adjacent wheel only.When the patient transfers from the chair to his bed or other facility,he first sets these brakes to immobilize the chair and prevent it fromsliding from beneath him during such transfer.

There are a number of special types of medical problems in which thepatient is unable to use these presently available devices with safetyas follows:

(1) Quadriplegia.-Tl1e upper extremities are paralyzed and are notstrong enough and dextrous enough to manipulate hand operated brakes.

(2) Hemiplegia.The hand is paralyzed on one side of the body and it isdifficult to manipulate the brake on this side with the opposite hand.

(3) Chronic debililz'es in old age (chronic brain syndrome).--Thepatient does not remember to lock the wheelchair.

(4) Multiple injury cases where both an arm and a leg are damaged, orwhere acute brain injury has occurred, etc.

The most important of these categories is the elderly patient,particularly the nursing home type patient who is in an institution orthe home environs where constant supervision is not available. Suchpatients do not have sufficient attention span to remember to lock theirchairs before they try to transfer to the commode or bed, from thewheelchair. As a result such patients suffer a very high incidence offractured hips, which occur when the chair slips from under the patientand the patient falls to the floor. Such fractured hips, in these agedand debilitated persons, are often of such gravity that the patient diesduring the course of treatment for such fractures, usually of pneumoniawhich is associated with the in activity which attends the aftercare ofsuch fractures.

We have now devised a wheelchair immobilizing apparatus which applybraking means automatically before the user can attempt to transfer fromthe chair so that patients who are incapable of properly manipulatingbrake levers or cannot remember to do so can safely transfer from thechair.

In the drawings, we have described a present preferred embodiment of ourinvention in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of a wheelchair that is provided withthe improved features of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the chair of FIG- URE l; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view of a modification of my invention.

The wheelchair of FIGURES 1 and 2 is of conventional construction beingprovided with a tubular frame lltl, two large rear wheels 12, twoforward caster wheels 14 (only one of which is shown), footrests 16,armrests 18, push handles 20, canvas seat 22, and canvas back 23. Thiswheelchair is of the collapsible variety so that the tubular frame andaccompanying wheels on either side of seat 22 and back 23 fold togetherfor a convenient storing (collapsing and supporting apparatus fortubular frame it is not shown).

Our device consists of two levers 24 and 26 that are pivotally mountedto rear vertical tubes of tubular frame 10 below the armrest portions10a of the frame. Levers 24 and 26 are spaced from frame 10 by spacers26a and extend forwardly above wheels J12. Springs 28 and 30 attach thefree ends of levers 24 and 26 to the front vertical tubes of frame it)so as to resiliently restrain the levers from upward pivotal movement.Brake lever angles 32 and 34 are attached to and extend outwardly fromeach respective lever 24 and 26 so as to bear on wheels 12 and act as abrake due to downward force exerted by springs 28 and 30.

Levers 24 and 26 extend through loops 36a formed in either end of a seatbelt 36. Seat belt 36 projects through grooves 39 formed in the armrests18 between the armrests and the frame 10 and extends between theopposite arm portions 10a.

A length adjusting device or buckle 37 of belt 36 may be adjusted toremove the slack from belt 36 so that the belt will restrain levers 24and 26 from being pulled downwardly by springs 28 and 3t) suflficientlyfar that the lever angles 32 and 34 contact their adjacent wheels 12.

In operation, the length of the belt 36 is adjusted to the weight andsize of a patient by use of the buckle 37 so that when the patient sitsupon the belt, resulting tension in the belt lifts the brake angles outof engagement with their respective wheels. Thus, these wheels are freeto rotate and the chair may travel at the wish of the patient. When thepatient lifts his weight from the belt as occurs in arising from thechair or when he shifts his weight towards the front of the chair, thesprings 28 and 3t} pull the levers 24 and 26 pivotally toward the wheelsso that the brake angles 32 and 34 engage and immobilize the wheels 12.Thus, the patient cannot forget to set the brakes and needs only toshift his weight from the belt whereupon the brakes set automatically.

Although our apparatus is particularly desirable and useful whenemployed in conjunction with a collapsible wheelchair, such as thatdepicted in the accompanying drawings, because our braking apparatusconsists of levers 24 and 26 independently mounted to either side of thetubular frame It so that the chair may be folded and our apparatus willnot interfere with such operation, it is obvious that the apparatus ofour invention may be applied to wheelchairs of widely varyingconstruction and including those of both the collapsible and thenon-collapsible variety.

To be modified to a chair with removable armrests, for example, requiresonly that the belt 36 be suspended directly from the levers 24 and 26instead of looping over the chair arms (FIGURE 3). Then the brake angles32 and 34 are affixed to extensions 24a (one shown) of lever arms 24 and26 beyond their pivot points disposed upon a bracket 24b, joined to theframe It). The springs 28 and 30 are a tension type, so that a patientsweight depresses the lever arms and pivotally raises the lever armextensions and brake angles out of engagement with the wheels. Removalof the patients weight from the belt 36 allows the springs to raise thelever arms urging the lever arm extensions and brake angles downwardinto engagement against the wheels.

Springs 28 and 30 are each preferably provided with plastic brake springcovers (not shown) so that the patient will not accidentally get hisfingers entangled in these members.

While we have described a present preferred embodiment of our invention,it may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims:

We claim:

11. In a wheelchair having a frame and a chair supported by at least twowheels rotatably mounted to either side of said chair, the improvementin combination therewith of immobilizing means comprising:

(a) two elongated lever members each pivotally mounted at one end tosaid frame, each said lever members being substantially horizontallypositioned, one each of said lever members being positioned adjacent oneeach of said Wheels and each being disposed to engage and immobilize theadjacent wheel when urged pivotally downwardly;

(b) spring means operatively connected to and disposed to urge each saidlevers pivotally downwardly into engagement with said wheels;

(c) a belt attached at either end to one of said levers, being suspendedfrom said frame and extending across said chair and in a position to besat upon by a person, said belt being of a length to restrain saidlevers from engaging and immobilizing said wheels when sat upon by aperson and of such length that said spring means urges said levers intoengagement with said wheels when a person rises from said belt.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said lever members arepositioned between their adjacent wheel and said frame and brake membersextend outwardly from each said member, said brake members beingdisposed to contact the rim of the adjacent wheel and immobilize saidwheel when said lever members are urged downwardly by said spring means.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said belt includes meansfor adjusting the length thereof.

4. In a wheelchair having a chair and a frame formed with armrestportions and supported by two large wheels rotatably mounted to the rearportion of said frame on either side thereof and two smaller wheelsrotatably mounted to the forward portion of said frame on either sidethereof, the improvement in combination therewith of immobilizing meanscomprising:

(a) two elongated levers each pivotally mounted at one end of said frameof said chair beneath said armrest portions, each said levers beingpositioned substantially horizontally and one each extending forwardlyon either side of said frame between said frame and one adjacent largewheel, brake members one each attached to and extending outwardly fromeach said levers, each said brake members being disposed to engage therim of the adjacent large wheel when said levers are urged downwardly;

v(b) spring means operatively connected to said levers and said frameand disposed to urge said levers downwardly so that said brake membersengage and immobilize said wheels;

(c) a seat belt attached at either end to one of said levers andextending over the armrest portions of the frame of said chair andacross said chair in a position to he sat upon by a person, said beltbeing of a length to restrain said levers from contacting andimmobilizing said wheels when sat upon by a person; and

(d) means for adjusting the length of said belt.

5. In a wheelchair having a frame and a chair supported by at least twowheels rotatably mounted to either side of said chair, the improvementin combination therewith of immobilizing means comprising:

(a) two elongated lever members each pivotally mounted upon said frameintermediate their ends, one of each of said lever members beingpositioned adjacent one each of said wheels and each being disposed toengage and immobilize the adjacent wheel 20 when urged pivotally towardsaid adjacent wheel;

(b) spring means operatively connected and disposed to urge each of saidlever members pivotally into contact with said wheels;

(c) a seat belt operatively connected to either end to one of said levermembers so as to extend across said chair in a position to he sat uponby a person, said belt being of such length as to allow said levermembers, urged by said spring means, to engage and immobilize saidwheels when a person is not upon said belt, and of such length that Whena person is upon said belt, said lever members are moved pivotally outof engagement with said wheels.

6. An apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein said lever members arepositioned between their adjacent wheel and said frame and a brakemember is mounted by each said member, said brake members being disposedto contact the rim of said adjacent wheel and immobilize said wheel whensaid lever members are urged pivotally against said wheel by said springmeans.

'7. The improvement of claim 5 wherein said belt includes means foradjusting the length thereof to the weight and size of a patient so thatwhen said person sits on said belt said lever members are movedpivotally out of engagement with said wheels by the weight of saidperson in opposition to said spring means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,053,852 9/1936Tracy 188-409 2,259,924 10/1941 Connolly 188109 2,426,451 8/1947 Hammack188-2 DUANE A. REGER, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A WHEELCHAIR HAVING A FRAME AND A CHAIR SUPPORTED BY AT LEAST TWOWHEELS ROTATABLY MOUNTED TO EITHER SIDE OF SAID CHAIR, THE IMPROVEMENTIN COMBINATION THEREWITH OF IMMOBILIZING MEANS COMPRISING: (A) TWOELONGATED LEVER MEMBERS EACH PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT ONE END TO SAID FRAME,EACH SAID LEVER MEMBERS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY POSITIONED, ONEEACH OF SAID LEVER MEMBERS BEING POSITIONED ADJACENT ONE EACH OF SAIDWHEELS AND EACH BEING DISPOSED TO ENGAGE AND IMMOBILIZE THE ADJACENTWHEEL WHEN URGED PIVOTALLY DOWNWARDLY; (B) SPRING MEANS OPERATIVELYCONNECTED TO AND DISPOSED TO URGE EACH SAID LEVERS PIVOTALLY DOWNWARDLYINTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID WHEELS;